This invention relates generally to a drive assembly for providing power assisted movement of various slidable components associated with a vehicle such as a rear window assembly of a truck cab or a curtain assembly within a vehicle interior.
Typically, truck cabs have a generally rectangular shaped window opening into which a rear window assembly is fitted. These window assemblies may include a single pane of glass which is immovable in the opening or alternatively multiple panes of glass, some of which are positionable to open and close a portion of the rear window assembly. While other types of positionable window assemblies are known, the most common is a sliding window assembly having a sliding pane which is typically operated manually, and therefore are difficult to open and close while driving the vehicle.
Likewise, vehicle interiors, such as a recreational vehicle or over-the-road truck, may include sliding window assemblies in the side of the vehicle similar to the rear window of a truck cab or may include various sliding curtain assemblies for covering a window assembly or partitioning the interior of the vehicle. As with the rear window assemblies in a truck cab previously described, these windows and/or curtains are typically operated manually, and therefore cannot be positioned remotely within the vehicle interior.
It is known to employ various electro-mechanical systems to provide power assist for vehicular components. As an example, powered windows are frequently employed for opening and closing the side glass in the door of a vehicle. In this type of powered window assembly, the side glass is vertically retracted within a portion of the vehicle body, and thus slides downwardly and upwardly within the window assembly. As such, these electro-mechanical systems are not readily adaptable to the transversely sliding components heretofore described. Moreover, it is difficult to package the electro-mechanical components of these systems within the proximate space constraints of the vehicle.
In a first preferred embodiment, the present invention is incorporated into a rear window assembly within a rear opening of a truck cab. The window assembly includes at least one movable window pane which is transversely positionable within a window frame to provide a window opening. In a second preferred embodiment, the present invention is utilized to provide power assisted manipulation of a curtain located within the interior of a recreational vehicle or over-the-road truck.
Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a powered drive assembly for manipulating various slidable components associated with a vehicle.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a powered drive assembly in which the drive motor may be readily positioned at a remote location from the window assembly, thereby facilitating packaging thereof.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a powered drive assembly which may be readily adapted and operably coupled to manually operated vehicle components for after market applications.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a low-cost, powered rear window assembly for use with a rear window of a truck cab.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a low-cost, powered drive assembly for use with a partition curtain located within the interior of a vehicle.
These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following written description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.